The design of the medals to be used at next year's Olympics will
be unveiled?Tuesday to mark the start of the 500-day countdown
to the opening of the Games, the Beijing Organizing Committee for
the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) said.
The unveiling ceremony will be held at the Capital Museum of
China, at which the medals will be displayed and the concept behind
their design explained.
To mark the start of the 500-day countdown, about 40 sports and
cultural activities will be held across the capital this week.
Ahead of those, two mass-participation events were held
yesterday morning the 2007 International Long Walk Carnival and the
2007 International Long Distance Running Festival. Both attracted
tens of thousands of people who were keen to show their enthusiasm
for the Games by running or walking their way around the city.
The fourth Long Walk Carnival, which was held at eastern
Beijing's Chaoyang Park, attracted more than 10,000 participants,
who tackled an 18-kilometer course divided into five laps to
represent the five Olympic rings. Those who managed to finish were
awarded a certificate and a commemorative "volunteer smile"
wristband.
"I'm very happy to have been part of this promotion for the
Beijing Games. It was great to see the Olympic spirit of
participation," Zhang Li, a college student from Beijing, said.
Of the events planned for this week, some of the most
significant relate to the Beijing 2008 volunteer program.
The slogan for the program will be announced at a special
ceremony this evening, at which the city's 10 best volunteers from
last year will also be recognized. Also, on Wednesday, the
recruitment of volunteers from overseas will begin.
The aim of this week's events is to involve as many people as
possible in the preparations for next year's Games, which follows
the theme of, "I Participate, I Contribute and I Enjoy".
The events include table tennis competitions among local
communities, a concert featuring Olympic songs, and an exhibition
of classic moments from past Games.
(China Daily March 26, 2007)